Ischia is the largest among the Islands in the Gulf of Naples (Ischia, Capri, Procida, Vivara) and is named "The Green Island" for its beautiful landscapes, beaches, luxuriant pine forests, vineyards and lemon and orange orchards. It was first settled by the Greeks in the 8th century BC, along with much of the coast of Southern Italy.

Ischia is the most important. Into the harbour area is the trading part of the town and another important area is that one around the "Castello Aragonese" which is called "Ischia Ponte", a picturesque ancient fisher's village

The evocative Ischia's harbour was originally the crater of a volcanonow extinct and sunk which originated a lake. It remained a lake until 1854 when the King Ferdinand of Bourbon ordered to force a passage opening the harbour. In the area of Ischia happened the last volcanic event on the island: in 1301 from a crater opened in the Fiaiano's area and a lava flow run down to the sea, covering houses and fields, giving origin to the actual "Punta Molino". It was such a longue and violent phenomenon that the inhabitants left the isle for two years. Owing to this in 1853 the Bourbon realized a reafforestation of pine-wood forest in that area we can still admire today

On the northen side is situated Forio where there are a lot of evocative areas of naturalistic interest. Its territory is particulary for wine industry : the 60% about of the island's wine production come from these areas. Near Forio we can find two wonderful beaches , Citara and Cava dell'isola, and also very important thermal sources in Citara and in the bay of Sorgeto, where it's possible to take a warm bath all year round.

Casamicciola Terme was famous and renowned in past times as a thermal area for its specially pure and beneficient waters. During 1800 Casamicciola's thermal baths were frequented by a lot of very important people. This town is famous also becauseit was struck by many disasters like a terrible earthquake in 1883, in which there were enormous damages and almost 1/3 of the inhabitants of the island died . Nowadays Casamicciola is still the island's place with the highest seismic danger place of the island, because it's situated on a deep underground fault. Behind the centre of the town there are pine forest and chestnut woods and pathways to climb up the Epomeo mountain

Lacco Ameno

Is famous for a 10-metre high green tufa rock, known as the 'mushroom' because of its peculiar shape, and believed to have fallen down from Mount Epomeo. There are also important thermal baths; this town has an ancient past, infact there are found the remains of greek civilization which dates back to year 757 b.C.. During the sixties when Prof. Bruchner, an archeologist, which conducted the excavations the rest of a necropolis and many evidences of the Eubei's presence, ancient greek colonizing people were found. Moreover there is a little museum in which is possible to visit the crypt of S. Restituta's Church, where are kept secret catacombs and remains of an old palaeocristian cathedral. Other important monuments to visit are: the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie; the Church of SS. Assunta in Cielo; the Church of San Giuseppe; the Tower of Montevico; Villa Arbusto with its park and the archaeological museum of Pithekusa.

Serrara Fontana and Barano are situated above the sea-level. Their characteristic is a tipical mountain territory where a lot of pathways leading to the top of Epomeo Mountain start. These towns have nevertheless their coast areas: the evocative little village of Sant'Angelo, where it's possible to see the ever active fumaroles; Maronti beach, the largest of the island with the creeks of Cava Scura and Olmitello.

For further information on the area, please visit the following web sites: